Ground ftill, in Hopes of better Times, and happy Olims, for what is to come as well as paft: Or else the witty Poets and wife Philofophers knew nothing of the Viciffitude of humane Affairs.

II. IN its direful Circumstances, lies the greatest Hardship of Poverty. It fometimes afflicts like a judicial Fatality, a Famine or a Plague; having no Corn in Egypt perhaps ; no Money in the Land of the Living; no Suftenance in a poor Family; nothing to provide for an ordinary Livelihood, nor to procure a common Maintenance of a Meal's Meat or the meanest Neceffaries of Life, it may be, to stop the Mouths of a Wife and Children a-ftarving at Home, for Want of due Succour and their daily Bread. Thefe are very hard Lines in Truth! And would it not make a Man look about him for better Fortune, or fly to divine Providence for its never-failing Relief? Would it not move him to be induftrious, and take Pains to the last Degree of his Power or his Prayers? Would it not almoft quite difcomfit him from his Labour, and render him uneafy, diffatisfy'd, or difcourag'd even to Death, in his greatest Efforts and Endeavours of getting his Living honestly? Would it not caufe his Tongue to cleave to the Roof of his Mouth, to be confin'd from the Liberty of Drinking what is necessary for the Confolation of his Mind, the Comfort of his Heart, and the Suftentation of his Body? What can be a more diftracting Affliction to an indigent Perfon, a Gentleman or a Scholar, than not to be able to purchase thofe fatisfactory Emoluments; which are requifite as much for the very Being, as Well-Being, both of himself

G 3

and

and his comfortless Family in Want? How muft he be difturb'd in his Thoughts, as well as cramp'd in his Defires; who has not Money to go to Market for Provifion, nor fo much as to command a Draught of Small-Beer, except he can have Credit given for it? Can any Thing more perplex or torment a generous Mind, than to be incapacitated to buy his daily Food, or Bread it felf; and to be deprived of procuring an honeft Livelihood, without making a Trade of begging it in Publick? Such a Man, fo miferably deftitute, may ftay at Home, and be ftarv'd with Hunger, or die of unquenchable Thirst; unless he will make his Cafe known difgracefully, expofe himself as a forlorn Object of humane Compaffion, and undergo the vileft. Contempt or Scorn of the World. 'Tis impoffible to exprefs, to what fad Shifrs and fordid Extremities Poverty reduces fome unreliev'd People And they only can tell them, who are fordd to live upon the Alms Basket. Nothing but the Confolation of Philofophy, or the Comforts of Divinity, can help them to retrieve their great Indigencies; fo much unregarded by others, and unlamented in the Pride of their Barbarity. But then they must make it their chief Bufinefs to cling the clofer to God, for Redrefs of fuch Grievances; who can command more Charity from the Brutes, from the Ravens, upon a true Faith and Truft, like Elijah's, in his infinite Goodnefs, than to let them perifh for Want of fome miraculous Suftenance and fufficient Support.

7

III. IN the regretting Confequences of it, Poverty is very irkfome, grievous, and difagreeable to moft People. It is almost intole

rable

rable to fome fort of murmuring, melancholy or difcontented Tempers. They think it deprives them of all the Benefits of good Company, and difcards them, in a Manner, out of humane Society. They are apt to grieve too immoderately at their Misfortunes, and feclude them felves from better Injoyments by a difhonourable Defpair. Defpair, upon Poverty, has been the fad Occafion of doing worfe Things too; and made fome Men fcandalonfly deftroy them felves by their own unnatural Hands: as if Sword or Piftol, Hanging, Drowning, or cutting of Throats, could free them from Misfortunes by the Perdition of their Bodies, and fecure the Salvation of their Souls, by an unrepented Crime of Cowardice, Dishonour and Damnation: not to call Self-Murder, in particelar, the Sin against the Holy Ghoft, without any Forgivencfs. 'Tis next Door to it, not to ftint the divine Mercy. I acknowledge an honest money-lefs Traveller may well fing upon the Road before a Robber, as Juvenal wittily expreffes it; because he has nothing to lofe: But how many wicked Defperado's are driven, thro' Grief of Heart upon their Neceffities, to the Temptation of going upon the High Way themfelves, and violently rifquing their own dear Lives, as well as taking of other People's Purfes for their difhoneft Support? 'Tis only acting their own Tragedies in Reality, upon a fatal Exit! However, fuch an idle, indolent, mean-fpirited Fellow, as falls into Poverty through his own Inaction, Negligence or Prodigality; that lyes in the Mire, and will not fo much as call upon God Almighty to help him, nor exercise the Faculties given him of Understanding and Iudustry, nor exert

1

his own Power and Strength, like Hercules's foolish Carter in Diftrefs: fuch an unactive Perfon, I fay, may well be unpity'd; if not die alfo unregarded. At least he can be reckon'd fit for no better Converfation, than that of Beggars, or to lift himself at worfe Places than Mumper's Hall; among Rake-Shams, Sharpers, Pick-Pockets, Spend-Thrifts and Profligates, And if Neceffity does not at laft force him to ty-up a Leg, or counterfeit the Cripple, and play the Cheat for Relief; yet he will always have this fevere Reflection in his Mind, that he has unqualify'd himself for any nobler Entertainment among Gentlemen, Scholars, or other worthy Perfons of good Repute, Character and Credit, through the oppreffive Indigencies of his own creating, and the miferable Exigences of his mis-fpent Fortune. But what difmal and deplorable Effects does Poverty fometimes produce, even in more industrious Breafts? What Regrets, what Refentments, what afflicting After-Thoughts does it often raife in a generous Soul; to find himself the Object of Scorn, and the Subject of Derision, for Want of Money or better Cloaths perhaps, to make a finer Figure, and a more fplendid Appearance in the World! And befides, what aggravates the Misfortune to the highest Degree of Mifery and Dejection, is this; that vulgar People will always be falfely judging of their Betters, of their very Perfons, both in Point of Understanding and Merit, by their Outfide, their Apparel or their Pockets: as if the Brain did not lie fome Stories higher in the Head; and Learning, much deeper than the Skin. But then again, if he happens also to be involv'd in Debt, and infolvent withal,

this is the utmost Addition of Sorrow, over and above all his other Distresses of Want, and Extremities of Affliction. It magnifies his Tribulation, and multiplies his Woes. With what Heaviness of Heart will he be oppress'd, if not quite overwhelm'd by that relenting Confideration, and defpond almost to Despair for fear of a Jayl, or dying in Prifon upon a Disability of fatisfying his cruel Creditors; a Prison, which rarely ever yet paid off any Debts, as the old Proverb has it, with Honour and Juftice, fave only by Mortality: And then there's an End of his Poverty, Misfortunes and Miseries all at once! Death foon discharges the Obligation due to Nature. 'Tis in full of all Demands here below. The Business is quickly done, without any other Acquittance, Releafe, or Act of Parliament, to help his In folvency.

HUNGER and Thirst, it is true, are Two preffing Calamities of Life in Extremity. But they cannot be fo terrifying to right Reason; when there is not an abfolute Impoffibility of having Neceffaries, or procuring: Relief. The one is foon fatisfy'd; and the other quickly quench'd with Moderation: fo that Poverty or Want, in thefe Two Refpects, may be justly despis'd for Virtue's Sake, and difdain'd with Honour. True Hunger is the best Seasoning it felf, and may be well enough gratify'd without any favoury Sauces or lufhious Dainties. It fweetens the moft ordinary: Entertainment, and gives a good Relish to the meanest Fare. True Thirft likewise makes the fmalleft Liquor as agreeable to the Guft, as the strongest, or most potent Mixtures. It renders it the most pleasing to fober Guests,